This invention relates to avian decoys used to attract or repel wildfowl.
Avian decoys have long been used by hunters to attract waterfowl and other game birds. Migrating wildfowl are usually beyond the range of a shotgun (or other weapon) and decoys are used to draw the birds within shooting range. The number and arrangement of the decoys may be varied, but they are typically placed in a body of water or arranged along a shoreline where the shape of the decoy serves to initially attract the overflying wildfowl.
Decoys are also used by bird watchers to attract birds for observation rather than for harvesting purposes. Decoys depicting predatory birds have also been used to protect crops from scavenging by other birds.
Typically, these decoys are constructed of wood or plastic molded into the shape of a particular bird with its wings in a folded position. Two-dimenstional silhouette decoys are also used and are molded from a variety of materials. Due to the keen eyesight of birds, decoys often have a rough representation of the surface features of the bird painted on the exterior surface of the decoy to enhance the life-like realism of the decoy. These surface features, however, weather and fade after repeated exposure to the elements and transport to and from the hunting area, reducing the life-like qualities of the decoys and, consequently, their effectiveness on wildfowl. The solid three-dimensional decoys and silhouette decoys are also limited in that they are of a fixed gender and species.